Despite having become a greatly popular topic in recent years, the WOOF meaning often falls into controversy since there are still a lot of people who don’t fully understand what WWOOFing implies and what the main advantages and demands are when you become a WWOOF volunteer.

WOOF Definition – Not Just a Cheap Vacation, As Many See It

Even though WWOOFing is volunteer work, the actual WOOF meaning (or at least one of them) is “Willing Workers on Organic Farms”. This paints a clear picture of what will be expected of you despite all the perks that come with the job: WWOOFing is basically a type of volunteer work organized by special WOOF organizations in which volunteers (WWOOFers) work and learn on a “host’s” farm in exchange for free food and accommodation – the hosts being the ones hiring the work force.

There are certain misconceptions about the idea of WOOF – meaning that not everyone is always clear on the requirements necessary to get a WWOOFer membership. The first thing you need to know is that unless you are ready to do a few hours of physical work every day and learn about various organic farming methods, this job is not for you.

WWOOFers & Hosts

These days, the organizations that WWOOFers and hosts belong to act more like organizers rather than full facilitators. Their goal is to provide membership cards and information for both hosts and volunteers, while allowing them the freedom of contacting the hosts provided in a host list.
The excitement often runs high on most farms, as many recent changes have proved to be very beneficial. Today, hosts and volunteers agree on their terms from the start, and hosts have the option of choosing WWOOFers who are willing to stay for a longer period of time.
The WOOF meaning and details regarding the requirements that both hosts and WWOOFers need to fulfill have made the industry prosper even more than before. If you want to know more about how to become a WWOOFer, see this page. Also, if you are interested in becoming a WWOOF host, follow this link for 7 meaningful steps on how to adopt the best approach.

The Potential of WWOOFing

Those who think that WWOOFing is just about riding a tractor or planting regular crops should open their minds to a lot more than what they heard about regular farming. The possibility of volunteering in different countries brings about a far larger horizon: you can end up building irrigation systems in Africa, make cheese in the Alps or work on harvesting olives in places like Portugal.
There is really no limit to the type of work you can apply for depending on the country and region you select. Check out this link if you are genuinely interested in knowing how to become a WWOOF volunteer.
The type of work may be different in the case of each host, and the underlying WOOF meaning may differ in each case, but one thing that will never change is the fascinating discovery and learning opportunities you will be faced with that will enrich your life considerably.

19 Comments to “All You Need to Know about WOOF – Meaning, Details and Requirements”

kisekka chalrse March 17, 2016 at 9:24 pm

hello am charles from uganda aged 30 male i would love to become a woofer in the UK ...am strong and willing to do any farm work thank u

I'm retiring in a year and this sounds very interesting for someone that would like to see the world and learning on how to make your living off the grid in my log cabin in Canada.
I'm a hunter,armature trapper,gardener,sailer,fishermen,enjoy all outdoor activity.welling to exchange volunteer work for as long as it would take to make my expense of travelling over seas from Canada..I'm speak French and English 53 years young and married with two sons 20 and 17 years young.i would be traveling alone or with my wife,do I think she will not be interested.interested in volunteering in France Italy or Greece

Hello, my family would like to expand its horizons and learn about new colture, diffrenet way of leaving with the nature and how children can contribute to the work at a farm. We will be at Holland Aug 15th 2016 for a week. If you want to help us learn and have the help of a hard working 38 years man and his 2 boys please contact us.

Hello, I live in Puerto Rico- the Caribbean. I'm looking to do woofing in a country with similar plants where they work with medicinal plant, oils, soaps, etc I would like to bring this knowledge to Puerto Rico to help people live a more healthy life!! Thanks!

My husband and I have recently moved onto a 10 acre farm in Southwestern Ontario, Canada .We have amazing perennial gardens and small vegetable gardens .
I could use some help keeping up the gardens through parts of the summer.
Our home is large enough to offer accommodations to an individual.
If we travel some during the summer, is it advisable and possible to still have a woofer during that time?
How does one go about applying for membership?

Hello, thank you for your interest in woofing.info.
There is no age limit for wwoofing as it is a completely free exchange of services between the host and the wwoofer, so as long as your are energetic and ready to experience a new way of living, there should be no problem for you to become a wwoofer.

Hi! I need some people to help caulk and stain my log home on 3 acres in Columbia, California. Columbia is an 1849 gold rush town in the Sierra Nevada mountains, 2 1/2 hours east of San Francisco, 1 hour north of Yosemite. I have about a week's worth of work in exchange for free room, food, wine....:)